Kitty
by Captain Zangano
Summary: Gwendal, of course, does not have a soft spot for cute furry animals.


**Disclaimer: ** I don't own Kyou kara Maou or make any money from this fanfic.

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Gwendal von Voltaire was not the least bit interested in cats. The fact that he had noticed that Micha-chan was heavy with an impending litter of kittens was inconsequential. He was merely observant, that was all. And if he noticed that Micha would purr and allow the maids to pet her after receiving some leftover food from the kitchens, well, he needed to have a break from his paperwork once in a while, didn't he?

Unofficially, he thought of Micha as Lazania's cat. Or perhaps Lazania was Micha's demon. Lazania would always remember to leave a bowl of scraps near the door, and Micha would occasionally arch her back and purr, rubbing up against Lazania's legs.

The kittens were born in a basket of unwashed linens that quickly became a semi-permanent fixture in the kitchen. Micha would hiss and bare her fangs if anyone but Lazania approached the basket.

There were three kittens, one was spotted black and white like Micha, another was gray and black striped, and the third was nearly black, with gray ticking. And castle rumor soon turned to speculation as to who would adopt Micha's kittens when they were of age. Gwendal, of course, ignored such rumors, and busied himself with paperwork.

The fact that Gwendal knew the names of all three kittens: Raya, Michita, and Luna, was also inconsequential.

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It was rumored that Lord Wolfram wished to adopt one of the kittens, and had been seen playing with the kittens, lifting then out of the basket, and cuddling them in his arms. However, Lord von Blielfield was also seen later with a bandaged hand, and claimed, with an upward tilt of his chin, that if he were ever inclined to keep a pet, he would be certain to keep a nobler animal, such as a dragon.

Eventually, speculation turned to reality as the kittens turned from wobbly balls of fluff into four-legged terrors. Gwendal didn't comment when his fish dinner had a suspicious looking bite mark on one edge, although his eyebrow twitched a bit. The maids soon realized that four cats (in particular three mischevious kittens!) in the kitchen were far too many.

The cat overpopulation problem slowly resolved itself. Dorcas brought Raya out to the stables to keep away the rats. Luna was given as a gift to an unsuspecting noble of the von Grantz family.

The only kitten left to find a home was Michita. Gwendal was sure to leave any uneaten scraps from his plate where she might find them, only because he hated to waste food. And if he stayed around to watch her eat, it was only because he wanted to make certain she was the one eating the food.

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It was a cold day when Gwendal heard a meh – mehing noise outside his office door. He opened the door, and Michita walked in and rubbed against his legs as if she had been expecting him to let her in. Gwendal wondered what would have ever given her that idea. She nimbly jumped up and curled into a ball on his chair. Gwendal decided he needed a break from his paperwork. It was cold out, and Michita was probably hungry. It was perfectly normal behavior to want to feed a hungry animal; it didn't mean he was starting to get attached to her.

He noticed that she came to his office more often, and he would always save a few pieces of food for her. Occasionally she would eat from his hand, delicately licking any remnants of food from his fingers with her rough tongue.

And if she sometimes sat on his lap while he worked at his desk, he was certain it was only because she was cold. And he allowed her to stay there only because he once heard Gisela mention that having animals around tended to reduce stress levels.

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Several weeks later Gwendal asked Lazania if she thought anyone would be taking Michita to a new home. Not that he was worried she would be taken away; he was simply curious.

Lazania laughed. "Oh, but isn't she already yours, Lord von Voltaire?"

Gwendal grumbled and frowned, wondering how anyone ever came up with that idea. And if his cheeks flushed with heat, it was because it was too hot in the kitchens, that was all.


End file.
